Class of '66 Old Fart

Stu - How are you getting tweets? I haven't been able to access Twitter for several hours due to the cyber attack.

One time target Theo Pinson out indefinitely with another foot injury. http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/17851062/north-carolina-theo-pinson-indefinitely-fractured-right-foot

At first I thought I had inadvertently strayed on to a Louisville board and then I saw it was a post from Aloha and not Rick Pitino! LOL

Not all that surprising. It didn't help his case that he missed a couple of the preseason games due to the unfortunate and sad death of his grandmother. Have to wait and see if some other club will pick him up for assignment to its D-League affiliate. Hopefully that will happen.

I don't know for certain when Martin came on board so I can't answer your question. Jeremiah April is the one that came to my immediate mind.

Well, there have been a couple that didn't/don't fit but CTC has admittedly had his share of successes.

Not to be outdone by JBJ and OG, a 3rd Hoosier up for a national award. Bryant named to preseason watch list for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the preseason watch list for the 2017 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, which honors the nation’s top center, on Friday. Indiana sophomore Thomas Bryant was one of three Big Ten players named to the 20-player list along with Purdue’s Isaac Haas and Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ. The complete watch list, per a release, is available below: Moses Kingsley, Arkansas Eric Mika, Brigham Young University Justin Patton, Creighton Marques Bolden, Duke Zena Edosomwan, Harvard Thomas Bryant, Indiana Bam Adebayo, Kentucky Tim Kempton, Lehigh Omer Yurtseven, North Carolina St. Chris Boucher, Oregon Isaac Haas, Purdue Paschal Chukwu, Syracuse Jarrett Allen, Texas Tyler Davis, Texas A&M Thomas Welsh, University of California, Los Angeles Kennedy Meeks, North Carolina Luke Kornet, Vanderbilt Mo Alie-Cox, Virginia Commonwealth University Josh Hawkinson, Washington St. Ethan Happ, Wisconsin

Big game tomorrow afternoon at PUke and only 1 regular season game remaining after that. Ladies currently in 8th place in conference points and only the top 8 teams at the end of the regular season advance to the B1G tournament. Cameron Drummond - Indiana Daily Student Women's soccer seeks to regain Golden Boot It has been a while since the final games of the Big Ten regular season mattered to IU. In both 2014 and 2015, the Hoosiers were eliminated from reaching the Big Ten Women’s Soccer Tournament prior to the final matches of regular season play. However, this is not the case this season. IU, 7-7-3 overall with a 4-3-2 conference record, is eighth, the final spot for the conference tournament, in the Big Ten standings. With 14 points gained in conference play, IU leads Ohio State by two points and Illinois by four points in the race for eighth place with two matches remaining for each team. These factors only increase the importance of IU’s match against the Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday night. Not only will IU be looking to solidify its spot in the Big Ten postseason, but it will also be playing for the Golden Boot, a trophy IU has won in three of the last four seasons. “If we can get the boot back, our seniors will have had it for three of their four years, so that’s important for those guys,” IU Coach Amy Berbary said. “But there’s a bigger picture. Three more points would get us that much closer to securing a spot in the postseason and getting us another game.” Berbary and the current group of IU players have never lost a match at Folk Field in West Lafayette, Indiana, and scored wins against Purdue in 2013 and 2014 while also going 2-0 in last season’s Boilermaker Challenge Cup at Purdue. Saturday’s match will only have Big Ten tournament ramifications for the Hoosiers because the Boilermakers, 4-11 overall and 2-7 in the Big Ten, have already been eliminated from reaching the postseason. After winning its initial conference game at Illinois, Purdue dropped six consecutive conference matches to fall into the bottom part of the Big Ten table. Fortunes have improved for Purdue of late, though, after it recorded a 1-0 home win over Maryland on Oct. 13. While Purdue may already be eliminated, Berbary said she still expects a tough test to come from the Boilermakers. “It’s a cool environment that Purdue has. Their fans are right on top of you,” Berbary said. “We just love to play there, but it will be a very emotional game. We just have to make sure the mental side of our game is on as well.” Scoring has been an issue for Purdue this season. The Boilermakers have scored only 12 goals in 15 games. When goals are generated by the Boilermaker offense, though, they usually come from junior midfielder Andrea Petrina or senior forward Hannah Leinert. Petrina and Leinert have each recorded two goals and three assists and will be looking to add to their tallies against IU. An IU victory and a draw or loss by Ohio State against Michigan on Saturday would confirm IU’s spot in the Big Ten Women’s Soccer Tournament. The Hoosiers have earned the right to control their postseason destiny as a result of their recent form, as the Hoosiers have taken points from five of the last six matches, and a current four-match unbeaten run. However, Berbary points to one match in particular as a turning point for the team. “I really do think the turning point for us was the 3-2 victory over Wisconsin. We were able to find a way to get it done and we’ve gone on a nice little run at the right time,” Berbary said. “When you’ve got 27 kids and a coaching staff of three that believe, anything can happen.”

Latest from Hutch at The Anderson Herald-Bulletin Late arrival Davis has quickly gotten up to speed at IU BLOOMINGTON — De’Ron Davis didn’t have the benefit of easing into his first year of college by arriving in June with the other incoming freshmen on the IU basketball team. Instead, the 6-10 freshman stayed in his hometown of Aurora, Colo., to get some academic things in order. He got to Bloomington the weekend before classes started in the fall and was quickly thrust into the position of full-time college student. “I had a lot of catching up to do when I got here,’’ Davis said. “I thought I had worked hard over the summer, but that first day was pretty tough. It was mostly conditioning. The game was pretty physical. The first couple of weeks it took me a little while to get used to the physicality of the games, but after that building my motor is what I’ve been really working on.’’ Davis said he had always had a favorable impression of Indiana basketball fans throughout his recruitment. He mentioned the word “passionate” several times when describing Hoosier Nation. And he said his first impression of Indiana students was a good one, too, when he was trying to get moved in at the last minute in late August. “There were just a lot of people around who wanted to help,’’ Davis said. “People were just coming up to me and asking what they could do. They wanted to help me feel like I was home, and that meant a lot to me.’’ Davis said he’s happy to finally be on campus and getting ready for the season. He said Indiana had been on his radar for a long time and getting the chance to finally be a Hoosier is something he had really been looking forward to throughout the summer. “Everyone knows that Indiana had been recruiting me since the eighth grade,’’ Davis said. “I was the number one player in the nation in the eighth grade, but as the years went by I started to fall out of the top 15. But Indiana and the coaching staff stood by me through it all. Every time they would come to my practices or games, they would encourage me to continue to get better. “At one practice this year, Coach (Tom) Crean came in and handed me a list. It was all the things he wanted me to work on. I just feel like this is a place where I’m going to get better.’’ Having seen players like Noah Vonleh, Cody Zeller and Victor Oladipo go through the college experience at IU and stick in the NBA in recent years has been something that has gotten Davis’s attention. But he said what he likes the most is seeing how much Crean and his staff influenced those players when they were at IU. “You can just see it in their games,’’ Davis said. “My main thing is that most players when they get to the league you can see how good their talent is, but when you see Cody Zeller and Noah Vonleh they’re still doing things that Coach Crean has taught them. Coach Crean knows the game well so if they’re still doing stuff that Coach Crean taught them in college and it’s working at the next level, it’s pretty clear that he really develops players.’’ Davis arrives at Indiana with lots of expectations. At 6-foot-10 and 240 pounds, he is seen as a player who could make an immediate impact. He was a four-star recruit out of high school and ranked as the No. 44 player in the nation by Rivals.com. Indiana fans will get their first opportunity to see Davis, who will wear No. 20, in live action Saturday night when IU has its annual Hoosier Hysteria event in the newly renovated Cindy Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. All fans in attendance will receive an IU men’s basketball poster calendar, and the IU team will be available beginning at 5:15 p.m. to sign the posters for an hour. Davis said he hopes the first impression he is able to give off to his new fan base is that he’s an unselfish player. He also mentioned defense. “First I’m a team player,’’ Davis said. “The open man is the best man, the best pass. But I take a lot of pride in my defense, too. Easy stops on defense can lead to easy points at the other end.’’ Sophomore teammate Thomas Bryant said that Davis has impressed him every step of the way. “He’s a really solid player who is going to come in here and be successful right away,’’ Bryant said. “One of the things you see with him is that he’s willing to put in the work to take his game to that next level. When you have people who are willing to work hard, good things are going to happen.’’ Saturday night will be Davis’s first experience with Hoosier Hysteria. He said from everything he has heard he’s getting pumped up for it. “The players say it’s just crazy,’’ Davis said. “Every seat is going to be packed. And they just said to go out there and have fun and enjoy the experience.’’

Va Tech offered.

Another lackluster performance by the Bears (1-6) results in a 26-10 loss to the Packers. Howard with only 7 carries for 22 yards; however, the Bears as a team only had 69 total rushing yards. No receptions; targeted once.

2016-2017 Player Profile: OG Anunoby Heading into his freshman season, few knew of 6-foot-8 wing OG Anunoby. An unheralded recruit from Jefferson City, Missouri, he was widely considered an afterthought in IU’s 2015 recruiting class, ranked far lower than both Thomas Bryant and Juwan Morgan. Through last year’s nonconference slate, Anunoby had logged just 100 minutes on the court. In those 13 games, Anunoby never scored more than six points or played more than 17 minutes. When Big Ten play started, something clicked, and Anunoby began to blossom. He started off the conference schedule posting consecutive career-highs, scoring eight at Rutgers and 11 at Nebraska. In a road game against Michigan State, Anunoby had the Breslin Center awestruck when he dunked over Kenny Goins. “His work ethic is second to none,” Juwan Morgan said of OG Anunoby on Wednesday. “Every time I’m in [Assembly Hall], OG is in here. Before practice, OG is in here. I knew it was just a matter of time before he really understood what he could do and applied it to the court.” In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Anunoby effortlessly threw down a 360-degree dunk against Chattanooga on his way to a career night, finishing the blowout victory with 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting and adding two steals an assist and a rebound. Two days later, he shut down Kentucky’s Jamal Murray, helping the Hoosiers reach the Sweet 16. The nation had taken notice. Anunoby is now widely regarded as the top NBA prospect in the Big Ten and is one of 20 members of the preseason Julius Erving watch list, an award given annually to the best small forward in college basketball. “I guess it’s nice,” Anunoby said. “But it doesn’t mean anything. The season hasn’t started. We haven’t played any games yet.” Anunoby says he’s spent the offseason with an increased focus on ball handling, shooting and growing as a leader. “Just talking everything out,” Anunoby said. “Communicating really, that’s the big thing. Switches, defensive positioning, offense, who’s going to post. All that stuff.” If the comments from his teammates are any indication, OG Anunoby could continue rising up draft boards and piling up accolades. “People will see when the season starts how much OG has improved.” Thomas Bryant said Wednesday. He’s a key focal point for our team. He has improved so much since last year. I just can’t wait for people to see it.” Bottom Line: Anunoby hasn’t come anywhere near reaching his potential yet. His stats per 40 minutes as a freshman were outstanding: 14.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 2.2 blocks while shooting 61 percent from inside the arc and 45 percent from beyond it. The sample size, however, was simply too small to make any declarative statements. But if he continues his upward ascent while maintaining efficient shooting numbers and lockdown defense, the Big Ten better watch out. Quotable: “He’s starting to use his body to his advantage. When he has a smaller player on him, he’ll put him down in the post. He’ll go down in the post more often. Also, he’s more efficient from three-point range. Me and (Anunoby) go head-to-head almost every time we play basketball. Clashing together, iron sharpens iron, and he’s getting so much better out there. He’s taking full advantage out on the court.” – Thomas Bryant at Big Ten media day. ctory with 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting and adding two steals an assist and a rebound.

Final preseason game for the Nets and they get beat by the Knicks 116-111. Yogi with a single minute of play and 1 assist. Regular season starts next Tuesday and rosters have to be finalized on Monday.

Since they play different positions, not sure of any impact this has on Troy other than more bodies competing for roster slots but the Grizzlies have signed Matt Costello (MSU) and Kellen Dunham (Butler) and this puts the Grizzlies roster at 20. Cuts have to be made before the season starts next Tuesday. And then a few minutes later I found this: (Grizzlies) Waived G Chris Crawford and F Vince Hunter. Signed C Matt Costello and G Kellen Dunham.

Welcome aboard and appreciate the informative post. Hope you become a frequent contributor.

At 6:45, Rabjohns tweeted the following: 2 more in-state players say they're visiting Indiana for Hoosier Hysteria. Anyone know if it's 2 additional names or just re-hashing names we've already heard?

I think everyone recognized it would be an uphill battle for Yogi and the fact that he's at least had the experience of playing in both the summer league and the preseason games is a huge plus for him. In some respects, the D-League may not be all that bad for Yogi. A chance to play on a consistent and regular basis against pro-level talent vs. spending the majority of his time on the bench. Maybe more of a chance to further hone his skills and demonstrate that he's a true NBA talent.

Yogi's final preseason game is tonight against the Knicks. Game will be televised at 7:30 ET on NBATV. Immediately following the game there will be a Brooklyn Nets Team Preview.

NFL Week 7 Coaching Hot Seat Update http://thebiglead.com/2016/10/20/nfl-week-7-coaching-hot-seat-update/ Pagano is #2

Multiple tweets from Mike Miller: Glass: "When it's all said and done, I think it's preferable this way." Glass: "I felt it was best to go back to just the single year listings on those two banners that identify the Big Ten champions." Glass estimates it'd have cost IU $50-100k to add necessary infrastructure to hang two more banners in current spot. Glass said there have been no specific discussions about hanging the '83, '13 banners elsewhere, but he'd be open to consideration. Fred Glass says it was his call to remove '83, '13 Big Ten banners. "My strong view is we should recognize all 22 champions in the same way"

Louisville Courier-Journal - March 2016: Freshman Johnson boosts Trinity past Male Thrust into the starting lineup late in his freshman season, David Johnson is making it difficult for Trinity High School basketball coach Mike Szabo to ever consider leaving him out again. The 6-foot-3 Johnson continued to emerge as one of the city’s brightest young stars Tuesday, posting 16 points – all in the second half – and nine rebounds as the host Shamrocks beat Male 71-64 in a highly anticipated quarterfinal of the Class Act Federal Credit Union Seventh Region Tournament. Johnson was Trinity’s seventh man for the majority of the season but moved into a starting role Feb. 19 in the regular-season finale against Central after junior guard Lukas Burkman was declared out for the season with a foot injury. In four games since replacing Burkman in the lineup, Johnson is averaging 10.5 points and 6.3 rebounds. “No question we know he’s a good player, but he’s a freshman,” Szabo said. “You have to build some trust, and he hasn’t really had any time to build much trust. But he’s quickly building it.” Johnson was one of four Shamrocks to score in double figures, joining Gabe Schmitt (22 points), Jacob King (15 points, five assists) and L.J. Harris (11 points). The Shamrocks (27-6) – No. 5 in the state in The Courier-Journal’s Litkenhous Ratings – advanced to face Ballard in Friday’s 6 p.m. regional semifinal at Valley. Bellarmine University signee Alex Cook scored 20 points and Hogan Brownley added 15 to lead No. 13 Male (25-6). Coach Willie Feldhaus said 3-point shooting was the difference, as the Shamrocks finished 10 of 20 from behind the arc and the Bulldogs were 5 of 20. “They just shoot it so well and put so much pressure on you out there,” Feldhaus said. “If you get too much out there, then they get shots at the rim.” After an even first half, Deondrai Williams’ free throw gave Male a 36-35 lead to start the third quarter before Trinity took control. Johnson scored six points and Harris added five during a 14-3 surge that gave the Shamrocks a 49-39 lead. Johnson, who capped the run with a pair of free throws at the 4:02 mark of the third quarter, said nerves have not been an issue for him since stepping into the starting lineup. “Lukas was a big part of our team, and we knew that we all had to step up,” he said. “With me coming into the starting role, I had to step up even more.” Johnson’s 3-pointer gave Trinity a 66-58 lead with 3:39 remaining before Male made a final push. After Brownley’s putback basket pulled Male within 67-64, Trinity committed a turnover with 1:05 remaining. Cornelius Watts’ 3-point attempt to tie rolled out, and Burton sank 1 of 2 free throws to give the Shamrocks a 68-64 lead with 41.5 seconds left. Johnson blocked Cook’s shot on Male’s next possession, and King followed with a pair of free throws for a 70-64 lead with 24.8 seconds left. “I love my kids, but these last two or three weeks it seems we’ve played from behind so much,” Feldhaus said. “We always had to fight to come back and make it a game at the end. … You just can’t play from behind against them all night long. It takes too much out of you.” For Trinity, it’s on to a meeting with Ballard in the Seventh Region Tournament for the fifth straight season. The teams have split the previous four, with the winner also going on to win the regional title. Szabo likes his team’s chances Friday, especially with the emergence of Johnson. “He’s a special talent with a really bright future,” Szabo said. “But his future is right now. He’s helping us win, along with his teammates. … “The thing I like is that he’s not intimidated. He’s aggressive and assertive. That’s what it takes to be good.”

New Albany's Romeo Langford named to American Family Insurance ALL-USA Preseason Team

Apparently pretty serious interest on our part. NextUpRecruits.com ‏@NextUpRecruits 51m51 minutes ago Indiana was in yesterday to watch 2019 6'6 Michael Moreno of Scott Co. (KY)

Zach Osterman - Indianapolis Star Player profile: A big year for James Blackmon Numbers to know James Blackmon Jr. 6-4, 200 pounds Junior guard, No. 1 15.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 46.3 percent 3-pt (13 games) About Blackmon Everything about Blackmon's offensive profile is exactly what Indiana needs -- it just needs it for an entire season. The Marion High School alum has been a consistent 3-point threat, and with Yogi Ferrell gone, Blackmon's now the best player on his team at creating his own shot. Even with Indiana's loaded frontcourt, guard play will be crucial for this team, in spacing the floor, involving those big men (particularly Thomas Bryant) and providing balance to IU's offense. Blackmon, who entered the NBA draft but withdrew to return for his junior season, has the ability to be one of the Big Ten's most efficient and prolific scorers, provided he returns from his ACL tear at full strength. One burning question For all of his impressive offensive statistics, Blackmon struggled at the other end of the floor as a sophomore. Fairly or otherwise (mostly otherwise), he became the poster child for the Hoosiers' disastrous defensive start in 2015, and their resurgence was pinned in part on his absence. It was never that simple -- and Indiana actually began improving defensively before Blackmon's injury -- but there's no doubt he needs to improve at that end of the floor. Tom Crean's team has the potential to be very good in that area this season, with versatile players like Bryant, OG Anunoby, Juwan Morgan and Freddie McSwain giving them a wide range of match-up options. Can Blackmon improve himself to match that standard? Final word This is a big season for James Blackmon, who was solid as a freshman before losing most of his sophomore season to injury. He will be counted on to provide explosiveness offensively, and he will need to set a better example on defense. There's also a larger issue -- Blackmon is now a junior, and one of IU's most experienced players. He has spoken at length this offseason about being a better, more vocal leader, so the responsibility facing him seems to be one he appreciates. Now that Ferrell is graduated, Blackmon picks up the standard in the backcourt. Coming off of that ACL tear last December, is he ready?

From Dana O'Neil at ESPN NCAA charges Rick Pitino but not Louisville over dorm scandal Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino has been charged with failing to monitor a staff member in his basketball program, but Louisville otherwise escaped potentially serious penalties stemming from an NCAA investigation into allegations made by a former escort. The NCAA's notice of allegations, released Thursday, includes four Level I charges, with one to Pitino, two directed at former director of basketball operations Andre McGee and the fourth aimed at former assistant Brandon Williams. The university was not charged with any violations, including a lack of institutional control or failure to monitor, the two most egregious NCAA infractions. Pitino, however, could face a steep penalty. Although the NCAA did not say that Pitino was complicit nor is he charged with committing a violation himself, it alleges that the coach "did not monitor" McGee and failed to "spot-check" his program, including "actively looking for red flags." Pitino has repeatedly denied any knowledge of the accusations made by former escort Katina Powell. In her October 2015 book, "Breaking Cardinal Rules," Powell alleged that McGee paid her and other escorts thousands of dollars and gave them tickets to games in exchange for sex with recruits and players in the players' dormitory, Minardi Hall. The NCAA agreed, alleging that McGee paid some $5,400 to the escorts. The NCAA alleges that McGee's payments, made for at least 17 athletes and/or recruits, can be construed as impermissible benefits. What Pitino did or did not know might not matter. Under the most recent NCAA enforcement legislation, enacted in 2014, a head coach is presumed to be responsible for the actions of any and all staff members and can be held accountable for their violations, even if the coach is unaware. Not knowing what happened, in other words, is no longer a defense. The NCAA's stance is that the head coach should have known. However, Pitino can appeal the charges. Using case precedent, coaches charged similarly have faced multigame suspensions. Last season, Syracuse's Jim Boeheim and then-SMU coach Larry Brown each were forced to sit for nine games over violations. In a joint statement, acting university president Dr. Neville Pinto and athletic director Tom Jurich said they intend to dispute the charges lobbed at Pitino. "We believe that Mr. McGee acted furtively and note that the NOA does not indicate that any other university employee besides Mr. McGee had knowledge of these activities," the statement reads. "We are confident in Coach Pitino and we know he is and always has been committed to NCAA compliance." McGee, who had moved on to and later resigned from Missouri-Kansas City weeks after Powell's book was released, refused to talk to NCAA investigators. Williams, who was on the Louisville staff for one year as a program assistant, refused to turn over phone records. Refusing to cooperate with NCAA investigators, considered major breaches of ethical conduct, are typically dealt the harshest penalties. Acknowledging that violations likely did occur and in the hopes of mitigating further penalties, Louisville last season self-imposed a postseason ban, cut scholarships and reduced its recruiting access. The NCAA noted those efforts in its document, recognizing the "imposition of meaningful corrective measures and/or penalties." "These allegations underscore why it was appropriate for the University to impose strict penalties on our basketball program earlier this year," the university statement read. "... The penalties we imposed were among the most severe penalties ever self-imposed by an NCAA member." Earlier this month, Pitino said the school's self-imposed sanctions should be enough to satisfy the NCAA. The school has 90 days to respond to the NCAA's notice and dispute any of its findings. The NCAA will then have 60 days to review that response. That timetable, coupled with the Committee on Infractions meeting schedule, means that neither Pitino nor the university will learn of penalties until at least the spring of 2017. The university will hold a news conference at noon ET Thursday, when Pitino, Jurich and Pinto will discuss the NCAA notice of allegations. In conjunction with the university, the NCAA hired two consultants -- Chuck Smrt and Steve Thompson -- to lead the investigation and conduct more than 90 interviews.